EVEN before submission of their manifestos, the methods the two main political parties are using to select their candidates for the imminent harmonised general elections, are an eye opener.

ZANU PF and CCC have already announced how they are going to select their candidates. Both claim their methods are democratic. But for the electorate to be convinced that the method is indeed democratic, the resultant government must be a product of the people for the people by the people.

That is democracy and that is what the people want.

True, we cannot replicate the Athenian prototype democracy with its smaller city States.

However, with bigger populations we have today, this can be achieved by making sure the method used to select the MPs and other representatives ensures the whole electorate has a chance to take part. The processes must be seen to approximate the Athenian prototype to the satisfaction of the electorate.

ZANU PF is already in the process of conducting its primary elections whereby any party member who wants to register as a candidate can submit his/her CV.

There are, of course, party criteria which have to be adhered to for the CV owner to be approved as a candidate.

The voting will see all party members eligible to vote select their choice from the array presented.

This method has been deemed to pass the democracy test since the winning candidate of the people, for the people and by the people would have come from the people.

Remember our war cry as we fought to liberate ourselves from colonial rule was: ‘One person one vote!’

Meanwhile, the CCC has ruled out primary elections.

The successful candidates are chosen by an obscure method referred to as ‘community consensus candidate selection process’.

This literally means handpicking of candidates by their leader Nelson Chamisa and his henchmen.

It doesn’t matter what the choice of party members at large is.

They have to submit to the whims of their superiors, chosen by their leader Chamisa.

But the method has glaring flaws.

Already, the process is riddled with irregularities, whereby a number of aspiring candidates find it easy to bribe one official instead of a whole electorate.

Thus they would have failed the democracy test right at the first hurdle, for they would have been nominated by a chosen few at the behest of their leader, Chamisa.

The CCC selection process is nothing but a manifestation of naked dictatorship.

Yet, paradoxically, the Western-sponsored outfit never tires of accusing the ruling ZANU PF of shrinking the democratic space.

Come voting day, the voters will be presented with a ballot paper with two types of candidates – one handpicked and the other democratically selected.

What the CCC doesn’t realise is that ZANU PF primary elections stir people’s enthusiasm to vote.

And this election mode will spill into the harmonised elections day which is just a few months away.

It is likely that many CCC members will still be fuming at being denied their democratic right to take part in the selection of their preferred candidates.

The result is likely to see apathy or crossing of the floor.

The importance of voting is seen by the effort of all the parties in persuading people to register to vote.

The CCC also seems to know this, even though it doesn’t give its supporters the right to vote for their preferred candidates.

ZEC has made continuous effort persuading people to vote, culminating in the ongoing blitz.

People like to vote because, this way, they feel they are taking part in selecting someone who will be answerable to them.

For a people who have always cherished their democratic right to the extent of going to war, denying them is criminal.

That is why we argue the selection process of ZNAU PF and CCC overshadows their subsequent manifestos as the two main political parties canvass for support.

Choosing between a party inclined to dictatorship and another to democracy offers the Zimbabwean electorate a simple choice.

The results of the forthcoming harmonised elections are likely to testify.